PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - Pepperdine senior Josh Anderson battled his way to a 1-over 72 at Tuesday's first round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championships at nearby Riviera Country Club.

Anderson (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS) is tied for 27th place after his opening round. The stroke-play portion of the tournament continues with single rounds on Wednesday (Anderson will tee off #10 at 9 a.m.) and Thursday.

It wasn't an easy 1-over, as Anderson found the rough and bunkers on numerous occasions, but he repeatedly managed to save par. In fact, he recorded par on the final 10 holes of the day.

"I felt good," Anderson said. "It was a tough day. The course has a lot of history, which makes it fun. It's a tough golf course. There's not an easy hole out here. You've got to grind all day."

Anderson's day began with a birdie on the par-5 first hole, as he chipped in to about two feet away, and made the short putt. Bogeys on two, six and seven put him at 2-over, however.

Anderson rallied with his second and final birdie on the par-4 eighth hole. His drive found the fairway and his second shot landed 10 feet from the cup, and he drained the putt to get back to 1-over.

Over the final 10 holes where Anderson posted pars, he did so despite having his drive land in the rough five times, as well as finding a bunker on three other shots. His best saves were a 10-foot putt for par on the 12th hole and an eight-footer on the 18th.

Anderson, who won the 2012 NCAA West Regional at Stanford, is making his second appearance at the NCAA Championships. He tied for 106th place in 2011 in Stillwater, Okla. This is the seventh time a Pepperdine individual has advanced to the NCAA Championships without the rest of the team.